Tile-laying machine



(No Model.) s sheets-sheer 1.

' J. MGMULLIN.

TILE LAYING MACHINE.'

`1a'e11 te d Apr. 919, 1887..

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J. MGMULLIN.

TILE LAYING MACHINE. No. 361,309. PatentedApr. 19, 1887.

N. PETERS. PhuhmLnlmgmnhery Washington, DAC.

Y witnesses TILE LAYING MAGHNE. 4

Paten-tedApr. .19

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH MOMULLIN, OF CASEY, IOVA.

TILE-LAYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,309, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed January 19, 1887. Serial No.i.22l,792. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JosEPn M CMULLIN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Casey, lnthe county ofGuthrie-and State ofIowa,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tile-Laying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in tile-laying machines; and it consists in the peculiarconstruction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed/out in the claims.

This invention is an improvement upon the tile-laying machine for which Letters Patent of the United StatesNo. 354,429were granted to me December 14, 1886.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of a tile-laying machine embodying my improvements, arranged in position for laying tiles in the ground. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation, partly n section, of the plow. Fig. Lisa transverse'sectional view of the evening-trough." Fig. 5 s a similar view of the tile-feeding trough. Figs. 6 and 7 represent a grasping device for the tiles. Fig. S is an enlarged detached perspective view ofthe evening-trough, and Fig. 9is a corresponding view ofthe feedtrough. i

A represents the plow-beam, which is provided near its front end with a horizontal transverse slotted opening, B, in which is located atransverse axle, C, which is pivoted at the center upon a king-bolt, D. On the ends of the axle are journaled bearing rollers E, which support the front end of the plow-beam at a slight distance above the ground.

F represents a semicircular yoke-bar, which has its ends attached to the ends of the axle. The central portion of the said yoke-bar is provided with a series of openings, f. A pin, j", is adapted to be passed t-hrough either of the said series of openings and to enter the upper side ofthe plow-beam, so as to support the axle at any suitable adjustment, and thus direct the plow either in a straight line or on a curve of any suitable radius.

G represents a clevis, which is attached horizontally to the front end of the plow-beam, the said clevis slightly exceeding the width of the plow-beam, and thereby projecting beyond the sides thereof. In the upper side ot' the plow-beam,near its front end,is secured a bolt, s

which extends through the plow-beam, and to Y which vthe ends of the clevis are attached. 'Ihese rods g and y serve to greatly strengthen the clevis, and thereby adapt the latter to withstand the strain to which it is subjected when the plow is used. The said rods also serve to divide the clevis. and form suitable openings, to which' the cable is connected, for drawing the plow forward. Near the rear end of the plow-beam, and extending through the same, is a vertical longitudinal opening, H.

I represents a frame, which projects vertically fronithe upper side of the plow beam near the rear end thereof, the said frame being mortised to the plow-beam and comprising the frontand rear standards K, which are arranged at the front and rear sides of the opening H, and the bars L, connecting the upper ends of the said standards and attached to the outer sides thereof.

M represents horizontal bars, which are attached to the outer sides of the standards at a suitable distance above the plow-beam, andN represents a horizontal yoke-bar having bifurcated arms which embrace the outer sides of the standards, and extend from one end of the frame I to the other, the rear end of the said yoke-bar being provided with a projecting tongue, N.

O represents a sliding block, which is provided in its sides with longitudinal grooves,

that are adapted to receive the top bars, L, of

the frame, and thereby the said block is free to slide longitudinally between the said top bars in a forward or rearward direction in the frame.

I represents a similar sliding block, ywhich Aengages the opposing side of the horizontal bars M, and is arranged at the front end ofthe IOC) erably made of steel and extends through the opening H in the rear end of the plow-beam. To the upper end of the said plow-standard is pivoted a clip, T, to the lower end of which is swiveled an elevating-screw, U. The said elevating-screw passes through and engages a threaded opening in the sliding block O, and by turning the said screw it will be apparent that the plow-standard may be either raised or lowered. The front edge of the plow-standard bears against the roller R.

V represents a wedge, which bears between therear side of the plowstandard and the front side of the rear standard, K, of the frame. The function of this wedge is to keep the front edge of the plow-standard in contact with the anti-friction roller R, and thereby prevent longitudinal motion of the plow-standard.

As the block Ois free to slide longitudinally in the frame I, it will be evident that the plowstandard may be adjusted either to a vertical or to a longitudinally-inchned position at a suitable angle. l

The front edge of the plow-standard is beveled 011 opposite sides, and thereby sharpened, to convert the plow-standard into a cutter or knife, and to the lower end of the said plowstandard is attached a foot or share, W, which is substantially circular in form at its rear end, and is tapered and inclined atits front end, to provide a sharpened wedge-shaped cutter, XV', which will readily penetrate the earth when the plow is drawn along. The rear end of this foot or share slightly exceeds in cross-section the diameter` of the .tiles that are to be laid, and the said rear end of the foot is hollowed out to form a cylindrical chamber, NVZ, into which the iirst drain-tile of theseries is adapted to be tted or placed, as will be described hereinafter.

From the front wall ofthe cylindrical chamber 72 projects a rearwardly-extending hookrod, W3, to which is attached an open link, X. A link, X', ts on the. said link, and is adapted to slide longitudinally thereon, and a hook-arm, X2, is pivoted to the rear end of the link, the front end of the said hook-arm being adapted to be engaged by the sliding rings X', as will be very readily understood.

Y represents an evening-trough, which is rectangular in cross -section and is tapered from its rear end to its frontend, and provided on its upper side fwith openings which extend nearly the entire length of the trough, and are adapted to be covered bya hinged lid, Y. A shoe or runner, Y2, is placed under the bottom of the evening-trough, the said shoe or runner being inclined at a suitable angle,and thereby adapted to support the evening-trough at a suitable angle upon the ground, with its rear end raised higher than the front end thereof; At the front end of the evening-trough, on the upper side thereof, is journaled a transverse anti-friction roller, Ys.

Z represents an inclined feed-trough, the front end of which corresponds in height with the lower side of the rear end of the eveningtrough. The latter is provided at its rear end with hooks, which are adapted to engage eyes secured to the front end of the feed-trough, so as to connect the latter to the evening-trough.

The bottom or platform of the feed-trough is equal in width to the diameter of the tiles to be laid, and to one sideof the bottom or platform is hinged a leaf, Z', which is adapted to be lowered to a horizontal position or raised to any desired angle, and is provided at its outer side with a longitudinal flange, Z2.

A' represents a series of chain-sections, each of which is equal the length of about twenty cylindrical drain-tiles such as shown at Fig. l. Each section of the chain is provided at its rear end with a hook, which is adapted to cugage an eye formed at thc front end of a rodsection, B'. The rear ends of the said rod-sections are provided with hooks C', adapted to engage the front end ol' the next adjacent chain-section, and thereby the said chain-section and rod-sections are adapted to be connected together in continuons series. On each rod-section is secured a longitudinally-sliding head, E'. The said head is wedge-shaped and broadest at its front ends. On opposite sides of each head B', at the rear end thereof, are made openings E2. F' represents dogs, which are pivoted in the rear sides of the head, and are adapted to project outwardly through the openings El.

rllhe operation of my invention is as follows: An opening of a suitable depth and size is dug in the earth at the point from which the drain is to start, and in the said opening is placed the evening-trough Y, the rear end of the said trough being on a level with the surface of the ground. One of the chain-sections is then attached to the link X, in the rear of the plow-foot, by means of the ring X' and the hook-arm X, and the said chainsection is caused to extend through the evening-trough. The feed-trough is then attached to the rear end of the evening-trough, and the drain-tiles which are to be laid are placed upon the wing Z', and the latter is tilted so as to move the drain-tiles onto the inclined bottom of thc feed-trough, and they are slid successively down the same into the eveningtrough, the rod-section attached to the chainsection being passed through the said draintiles as they enter the evening-trough. This operation is repeated until the first section of the chain is entirely covered by the draintiles, and when the section of the chain is full the head is moved rearwardly on the rod and the dogs distended, and thereby caused to clamp against the rear end of the last section of the drain-tiles, the said section of the draintiles being provided on opposite sides with suitable notches adapted to receive the dog. The plow is then drawn forward along the proposed line of the drain by means of a capstan, or other suitable device, thereby causing the plow-foot to run in the ground at a suitable distance below the surface and to draw the drain-tiles in the ground after it.4

As soon as the last tile of the first section leaves the feed-trough, other tiles are placed upon the same, and another chain is attached to the hook at the rear end of the rod-section, and additional tile-sections are threaded or placed -upon the second section of the chain as before, and so on until as many sections of the chain as may be desired have been coupled together and the draiii-tiles laid in the ground for a distance of about Afour hundred or five hundred feet.

It Will be observed that all of the sections of the drain-tiles which are intermediate between the sections thereof having the notches a are entirely free from strain, the strain being borne bythe said sections 'having the notches a. y

VJust before the plow is started the lids Y are closed over the upper side of the eveningtrough, to prevent dirt from falling into the said trough upon the tile-sections as they pass through the same. The function of the antifriction roller Y, at the front end of the evening-trougli, is to facilitate-the escape of the tile-sections from the same as they successively passthe said roller.

`W'hcn a suitable number of the drain-tiles have been laid iii-the ground in a continuous line, an opening is dug in the ground down to the foot of the plow, so as to expose the saine. The ring X is then slipped forwardlyv on the link X, thus releasing the hook-arm X2 and causing the same to disengage the front end of the chain. A hook-rod is then attached 'to the rear end of the continuous chain, and the latter is drawn rearwardly from the plow-foot. At the irst rearward motion of the chain the sliding heads E on the rod-sections B move rearwardly, and thereby release the dogs and cause them to disengage the tile-sections, which leaves .the chain free to be withdrawn rearwardly'froni the said tile-sections, and then the operation of laying the tiles, before described, is repeated until a drain of the requisite length has been made.

It has been found diiieiilt heretofore to prevent tlie rear end of the plow-beam from rising while it is in motion, and thus causing the l plow-foot to come too near the surface of the ground. To avoid this objection, I pivot a rearwardly-extending swinging arni, e, to the rear portion of the yoke-arm N, and upon the said swinging arm I place a longitudinal movable weight, cyl. ,By moving the said Weight rearwardly on the swinging arm itiexerts so powerful a leverage upon the rear end of the plow-beam as to keep the plow-foot at the requisite depth in the earth. This Weighted swinging arin is also useful to prevent the plow from tilting when going around curves,

as this may be done by moving the said arni to one side, so that its weight will be exerted upon the outer side of the plow-beam.

In order to facilitate raising and lowering the plow-foot, I provide a rectangular box or frame, e, which is embedded in the under side of the plow-beam at the iear side of the opening H, and is provided with an anti-friction roller, which bears against the rear side of the plow-standard. v v

In Fig. 7 I illustrate a modified form of the device for grasping the tile-sections, in which I pivot the dogs to a ring, which is adaptedy to slide back and forth upon the rod-sections with the head thereof,instead of pivoting the dogsto the said head,'as shown in Fig.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a plow for laying drain-tiles, the combination of the beam, the standard extending through the same, the frame I, the screw. to raise or lower the standard, and the sliding block in which the elevating-screw works, substantially as described.

2. In a plow for laying drain-iiles,rthe combination of the beam, the vertically-movable standard, the frame, the sliding box l?, having the roller bearing against one side of the standard, and the wedge bearing against the opposite side of the standard, for the purpose set d bination of the beam, the frame I thereon, the

plow-standard extending through the beam, the longitudinally-movable sliding block s O P, secured to the frame, and the elevatingscrewA workingin the said blocks and connected to the standard, substantially as described.

4f. In a draiii-tile-laying machine, the co'mbination of a beam, a fixed frame carried thereby near its rear end, a vertically-inevable standard guided in the frame, a yoke tted around the frame and pivoted at its iront ends thereto, and a rearwardly-extended arin connected to the yoke and having a movable weight, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a drain-tile-laying machine, the conibination of a beam, a fixed frame carried thereby near its rear end, a vertically-nievable staiidard working in the frame and having a swivel, T, at its upper end, a movable block, O, supported in the upper end'oi the frame, an elevating-screw working in said block and connected to the swivel of the standard, a movable block, ]?,worliing,in the frame beneath the upper block and having a roller riding against one side of the standard, and a Wedge bearing against the opposite side of .the standard, as and for the purpose set forth.

forming a continuation of the evening-trough,

as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with a plow for laying drain-tiles, of a stationary inclined eveningtrough arranged `in rear of the plow, and a feed-trough arranged in rear of and connected to the evening-trough to form n continuation thereof, as and for the purpose described.

9. The combination, with a plow for laying drnintiles, of a closed evening-trough arranged in roar ofthe plow and having the looselyjournalcd friction -roller in its front end, as and for the purpose described.

l0. The conibnalion,with a plow for laying drain tiles, of a closed eveningtrough nrranged in rear of the plow, and a feed-trough forming a continuation of the evening-trough,

and provided on one Side with a swinging lent' adapted to be turned to an upright position to direct the tiles upon the body ot' thc trough, as and for the purpose described.

ll. A feeding-trough for tile-laying n1achines, having the inclined bottoni provided on one edge with n longitudinal inclined flange, and a swinging lent' hinged to the opposite edge of the bottoni and having a similar inclined ilange at its i'ree edge, as and for the purpose described.

12. An eveningtrough for draiirtilelaying machiueshaving the inclined bottoni, the connected sides, the lids or lid hinged to one of the sides and adapted to rest upon the other side to close the upper end of the trough, and a rollerjournnled in the upper portion of the trough at its front end, as and for the purpose described.

13. In a machine for laying drain-tiles, the combination, with the rod-section connected with the foot of the plow and adapted to pass through one oi' the tiles to he laid, of the extensible dogs connecting with the said rod-section, as and for the purpose described.

14. In a machine for laying drain-tiles, the combination, with the rod-section connected with the plowfoot, of awedge-shaped head fitted on the rod-section to center the latter within the tile, as set forth.

15. In a machine for laying draiultiles, the combination, with a rodsection adopted to be connected with the plow foot, of a sliding wedgeshaped head fitted on the rod-section, and the pivoted dogs having their free ends extended beyond the head,las and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixcd my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH MCMULLIN.

Witnesses:

H. C. KIRK, J. V. Pnon. 

